Effect of benzaldehyde on the electrodeposition and corrosion properties of Ni–W alloys

The effect of different concentrations of benzaldehyde on the electrodeposition of Ni–W alloy coatings on a mild steel substrate from a citrate electrolyte was investigated in this study. The electrolytic alkaline bath (pH 8.0) contained stoichiometric amounts of nickel sulfate, sodium tungstate, and trisodium citrate as precursors. The corrosion resistance of the Ni–W-alloy-coated specimens in 0.2 mol/L H₂SO₄ was studied using various electrochemical techniques. Tafel polarization studies reveal that the alloy coatings obtained from the bath containing 50 ppm benzaldehyde exhibit a protection efficiency of 95.33%. The corrosion rate also decreases by 21.5 times compared with that of the blank. A higher charge-transfer resistance of 1159.40 Ω·cm2 and a lower double-layer capacitance of 29.4 μF·cm-2 further confirm the better corrosion resistance of the alloy coating. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the deposits on the mild steel surface are consisted of nanocrystals. A lower surface roughness value (R_max) of the deposits is confirmed by atomic force microscopy.     

Effects of Zn content on the microstructure and the mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast low-alloyed Mg–Zn–Ca alloys

The effects of Zn content on the microstructure and the mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast low-alloyed Mg–xZn–0.2Ca alloys (x=0.6wt%, 2.0wt%, 2.5wt%, hereafter denoted as 0.6Zn, 2.0Zn, and 2.5Zn alloys, respectively) are investigated. The results show that the Zn content not only influences grain refinement but also induces different phase precipitation behaviors. The as-cast microstructure of the 0.6Zn alloy is composed of α-Mg, Mg₂Ca, and Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phases, whereas 2.0Zn and 2.5Zn alloys only contain α-Mg and Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phases, as revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. Moreover, with increasing Zn content, both the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and the elongation to fracture first increase and then decrease. Among the three investigated alloys, the largest UTS (178 MPa) and the highest elongation to fracture (6.5%) are obtained for the 2.0Zn alloy. In addition, the corrosion rate increases with increasing Zn content. This paper provides an updated investigation of the alloy composition–microstructure–property relationships of different Zn-containing Mg–Zn–Ca alloys.     

Influence of Ag content on the microstructure,mechanical, and tribological properties of TaVN-Ag films

A series of TaVN-Ag nanocomposite films were deposited using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and tribological performance of the films were investigated. The results showed that TaVN-Ag films were composed of face-centered cubic (fcc) TaVN and fcc-Ag. With increasing Ag content, the hardness of TaVN-Ag composite films first increased and then decreased rapidly. The maximum hardness value was 31.4 GPa. At room temperature, the coefficient of friction (COF) of TaVN-Ag films decreased from 0.76 to 0.60 with increasing Ag content from 0 to 7.93at%. For the TaVN-Ag films with 7.93at% Ag, COF first increased and then decreased rapidly from 0.60 at 25℃ to 0.35 at 600℃, whereas the wear rate of the film increased continuously from 3.91×10-7 to 19.1×10-7 mm3/(N·mm). The COF of the TaVN-Ag film with 7.93at% Ag was lower than that of the TaVN film, and their wear rates showed opposite trends with increasing temperature.     

Electroplating of Ni/Co–pumice multilayer nanocomposite coatings: Effect of current density on crystal texture transformations and corrosion behavior

The present paper aims to investigate the influence of the current density in the electroplating process on the microstructure, crystal texture transformations, and corrosion behavior of Ni/Co-pumice multilayer nanocomposite coatings. The Ni/Co-pumice composite coatings were prepared by deposition of Ni, followed by the simultaneous deposition of pumice nanoparticles (NPs) in a Co matrix via an electroplating process at various current densities. Afterward, the morphology, size, topography, and crystal texture of the obtained samples were investigated. Furthermore, electrochemical methods were used to investigate the corrosion behavior of the produced coatings in a solution of 3.5wt% NaCl. The results indicated that increasing the plating current density changed the mechanism of coating growth from the cell state to the column state, increased the coating thickness, roughness, and texture coefficient (TC) of the Co (203) plane, and reduced the amount of pumice NPs incorporated into the Ni/Co-pumice composite. The electrochemical results also indicated that increasing the current density enhanced the corrosion resistance of the Ni/Co-pumice composite.     

Effects of solidifi cation cooling rate on the corrosion resistance of Mg – Zn–Ca alloy

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of solidification cooling rate on the corrosion resistance of an Mg–Zn–Ca alloy developed for biomedical applications. A wedge shaped copper mould was used to obtain different solidification cooling rates. Electrochemical and immersion tests were employed to measure the corrosion resistance of Mg–Zn–Ca alloy. It was found that increasing cooling rate resulted in a significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the Mg–Zn–Ca alloy. The findings were explained in terms of solidification behaviour in association with the change in solubility of the alloying elements, microstructural homogeneity and refinement and chemical homogeneity as well as the increased cooling rates.     

Influence of clusters in melt on the subsequent glass-formation and crystallization of Fe–Si–B metallic glasses

The liquid structure of seven representative Fe–Si–B alloys has been investigated by ab initio molecular dynamics simulation focusing on the role of clusters in terms of glass-forming ability(GFA) and crystallization. It is demonstrated that the type of primary phase precipitated from amorphous state under heat treatment is determined by the relative fraction and role of various clusters in melt. The alloy melt shows higher stability and resultantly larger GFA when there is no dominant cluster or several clusters coexist, which explains the different GFAs and crystallization processes at various ratios of Si and B in the Fe–Si–B system. The close correlation among clusters, crystalline phase and GFA is also studied.     

Effect of pickling processes on the microstructure and properties of electroless Ni–P coating on Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloy

The electroless plating Ni–P is prepared on the surface of Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloys with different pickling processes.The microstructure and properties of Ni–P coating are investigated.The results show that the Ni–P coatings deposited using the different pickling processes have a different high phosphorus content amorphous Ni–P solid solution structure,and the Ni–P coatings exhibit higher hardness.There is higher phosphorus content of Ni–P amorphous coating using 125 g/L Cr O3and 110 ml/L HNO3(w68%)than using 180 g/L Cr O3and 1 g/L KF during pre-treatment,and the coating structure is more compact,and the Ni–P coatings exhibit more excellent adhesion with substrate(Fcup to22 N).The corrosion potential of Ni–P coating is improved and exhibits good corrosion resistance.As a result,Mg-7.5Li-2Zn-1Y alloy is remarkably protected by the Ni–P coating.     

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure of a Ni–Fe based superalloy for advanced ultra-supercritical power plant applications

The effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and microhardness of a Ni–Fe based superalloy for700 °C advanced ultra-supercritical coalfi red power plants was investigated. Results showed that the main phases in the alloy were γ, γ′, MC and M_23C_6, and no harmful phase was observed in the alloy.M_23C_6-type carbides discretely distributed nearby grain boundaries as the alloy was aged at above840 °C. The microhardness decreased with increasing aging temperature. The coarsening of γ′ led to the increment of microhardness at 780 °C and 810 °C for a short aging time, and a signi fi cant decrease in microhardness after aging at 840 °C. The aging temperature had more signi fi cant role on the microstructure than holding time. Therefore, to obtain optimum strengthening effect for this alloy, the aging temperature should not exceed 810 °C.